Actually, this moose cow was in the middle of the lake to feed on the nutrient rich vegetation that grows on the bottom. I took this one several years back at Sandy Stream Pond in Baxter State Park, Maine.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/8 at 1/350th of a second
There are wolves in there somewhere, I just didn’t see any. This was taken in northern Minnesota on my recent bear adventure. Of the 5,000 or so wolves in the lower 48, almost half of them are in Minnesota. That being said, it is very difficult to spot a wolf in the wild as they will go to great lengths to avoid contact with humans. I’ve only seen them in the wild in Yellowstone, usually because a kill had been made somewhere within sight of a road. Until I find a Minnesota timber wolf to photograph, please enjoy these lovely trees that they live amongst.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second
As long time subscribers to my blog know, one of my favorite spots to photograph is Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in southern Indiana. Especially in the winter when the river otters can be found eating fish on the ice. I haven’t been there in a while, but this is one from my last trip.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 550, with 1.4 teleconverter) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second
Here’s another one from last weekend in Florida. These guys are very common in southern Florida. So common, in fact, that I had to remind myself to take the time to get a decent shot. It’s an anole lizard, and this one was licking its chops just as I tripped the shutter.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/11 at 1/15th of a second
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) !SO 400, f/8 at 1/500th of a second
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 82mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/80th of a second
These four photos have all been posted before, but I thought I’d share them again as they were all finalists this year in the BBC Wildlife Photography of the Year competition. Unfortunately, none of them made the final cut, but still a nice honor to have four make it as far as they did in what is generally considered the world’s most prestigious photography competition for wildlife. The sea lion was a finalist in the “Art in Nature” category. The Lake Granby shot was in the “Wild Spaces” category. The maned wolf was in the “Endangered Species” category. And the leaf insect was in the “Animal Portraits” category.
This black bear was just hanging out, relaxing and watching his world go round. This is another one from two weekends ago up in northern Minnesota.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 125mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second
Where there are people eating there will be raccoons. And there were a lot of people eating in Bill Baggs State Park in Key Biscayne on Saturday. Just before the park closed for the night, I took a quick drive through and found two opportunistic raccoons canvassing the recently abandoned picnic areas. They got a little skiddish every time I got down on the ground, but eventually they relaxed and I was able to get some decent narrow depth of field, eye level shots like this one.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
For Karen and I, the holiday weekend was all about relaxation down in the Florida Keys. But relaxation wouldn’t quite be relaxing if I wasn’t able to slip away for at least a few hours to search for wildlife. So early Saturday morning I got up before the sun and ventured into Everglades National Park where I eventually found this young, and very bold, barred owl. The owl seemed to hardly notice me as it patiently hunted for grasshoppers — and allowed frame filling portraits in the process.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second
Bears weren’t the only creatures I came across last weekend in Minnesota. I saw quite a few painted turtles as well, usually attempting to cross the road. Have a great 4th of July everyone. See you back on Monday with more from the north woods.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second
Here’s another from this past weekend in northern Minnesota. These two young black bears seemed a bit smitten with each other. You can see the clear difference in coat colors between the two.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 82mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second